Citations

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) face ongoing physical, emotional, and psychosocial challenges that impact long-term outcomes. Research is limited on how their health topic interests vary by levels of empowerment. The 15-item Gothenburg Empowerment Scale (GES) assesses CHD patient empowerment across five domains. Objective: Examine the association between patient empowerment levels and patient-prioritized health education topics among adults with CHD. Methods: This cross-sectional study included adults (≥18) with self-reported CHD enrolled in the Empower My Congenital Heart digital study. Participants completed the GES survey and responded to open-ended questions regarding information of interest to them in managing their healthcare. GES scores were divided into tertiles, and responses were grouped into patient-prioritized topics. Descriptive analysis examined associations between empowerment levels and topic preferences. Results: Of 292 eligible patients, mean age was 45.6 ± 14.7 years, 91.4% were Caucasian, and 66.4% were female. The median (25th, 75th) GES score was 62 (57, 68). The most frequently observed patient prioritized topic was CHD health knowledge (73%), followed by interest in building CHD community (52.7%), lifestyle management (23.6%), health care navigation (7.2%), research and representation (5.1%). Participants in the lower and middle GES tertiles more frequently expressed interest in foundational sub-topics such as understanding CHD and surgical history, finding ACHD specialists, exercise and nutrition. In contrast, participants in the highest GES tertile prioritized sub-topics related to aging with CHD, managing menopause, CHD research and legislative activities. Peer support was a common topic across all groups (Figure 1). Patient quotes were stratified by tertile and patient prioritized health topics and subtopics as summarized in table 1. Conclusion: Adults with CHD prioritized varied health education topics depending on their baseline empowerment levels. Those with lower GES scores prioritized foundational information and guidance, while those with higher scores prioritized community-oriented and research-related topics. These findings could help tailor CHD patient-centered education strategies based on individual empowerment profiles.

Background: Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a major contributor to death among ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluate the efficacy of catheter ablation in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis by searching the electronic database up to April 2025. Seven studies, including 1192 patients, were identified. A random-effect model was used to estimate pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Trial sequential analysis was conducted to assess sample size adequacy. Results: Among Ischemic heart disease patients with ICDs, VT ablation was associated with a significant reduction in ICD shocks (RR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.34–0.74]), a trend toward reduced VT storm (RR = 0.64, 95% CI [0.40–1.04], p = 0.07), and lower rates of cardiovascular hospitalization (RR = 0.73, 95% CI [0.53–1.01], p = 0.06) compared to ICD alone. However, no significant differences were observed when compared to patients receiving ICD plus antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). Additionally, VT ablation showed no significant impact on mortality or VT/VF recurrence compared to either ICD alone or ICD with AADs. Trial Sequential Analysis provided conclusive evidence for VT/VF recurrence outcomes, while further data are required for other outcomes. Conclusion: Among ischemic heart disease patients with ICD, VT ablation reduces ICD shocks, VT storm, and cardiovascular hospitalizations compared to ICD-only, but offers no significant advantage over ICD combined with antiarrhythmic drugs. VT ablation does not impact mortality or the recurrence of VT/VF. Trial Sequential Analysis confirmed conclusive evidence for VT/VF recurrence, while additional data is needed for other outcomes.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia with prevalence increasing over the last decade. However, data on recent temporal trends in incidence of AF have been inconsistent, with some reports of increasing trends over time and others indicating no change in incidence over time. Therefore, we aimed to determine how the incidence of AF has changed over the last decade in a community in the Midwest USA. Methods: Between 2013 and 2023, adults (aged 18 and older) with incident AF were identified in a 27-county region in the Midwest. AF was identified using diagnostic codes by employing an electronic algorithm requiring 1 inpatient code or 2 outpatient codes separated by >7 days but within 1 year. For total rates, age - and sex-adjusted incidence rates were standardized to the 2010 US total population. Poisson regression was used to calculate the incidence rate ratio of AF for 2023 vs 2013. Results: We identified 44,930 individuals with incident AF from 2013 to 2023. Of these, 56.4% were male, the mean (SD) age was 72.8 (13.5) years, and 95.8% were non-Hispanic white. The age-and sex-adjusted incidence rates (per 1,000) and 95% confidence intervals standardized to the 2010 US total population were 5.24 (5.07-5.41) in 2013, 5.73 (5.56-5.91) in 2018, and 5.44 (5.28-5.61) in 2023. Although a drop in incidence was observed corresponding to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small increase in the overall incidence of AF was observed over time. The overall incidence rate ratio (95% CI) for 2023 vs 2013 was 1.07 (1.02-1.11), P=0.003. The incidence rates were higher in men compared to women and increased with older age ( Figure 1 ). However, differences in AF incidence by sex were greatest in the youngest age group and attenuated with older age (incidence rate ratio (95% CI): 2.18 (2.10-2.28) for ages 18-64 years, 1.76 (1.70-1.83) for ages 65-74 years, 1.38 (1.33-1.42) for ages 75-84 years, and 1.23 (1.18-1.28) for ages 85 years and older). Conclusion: In this 27-county region in the Midwest, although small in magnitude, a statistically significant increase in AF incidence was observed over time from 2013 to 2023. Furthermore, the incidence of AF was higher in men compared with women, especially in younger age groups.

Background: Digital health offers a potential solution to support adults with congenital heart disease (CHD), filling the critical gap to help maintain recommended lifelong care with adult CHD specialists. However, its design and implementation require a rigorous scientific approach to make it scalable and usable for the target population. Objective: To pilot test the acceptability and feasibility of a digital health intervention to support lifelong healthcare for adults with CHD. Methods: Using a community-based participatory research and a behavioral theory-based approach, we developed and piloted a digital tool, Empower My Congenital Heart (EmpowerMyCH), within the web—and mobile-based Eureka Digital Research platform at UCSF. Intervention components within EmpowerMyCH include exhibits (expert and peer-developed learning modules on CHD-related topics such as finding specialists or navigating visits, tests, procedures, etc.), peer support, and a digital medical passport (Figure 1). Participants receive an exhibit with study measure surveys every two months, with a two-month completion window. Participant satisfaction with the digital tool is measured at six months using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8), a validated survey with scores ranging from 8 to 32; higher scores indicate higher satisfaction with the digital tool. Results: Of the 519 participants recruited, 495 were eligible adults with CHD, 445 consented, and 6 withdrew. The median age was 43 (ranging from 20 to 85) years, and 30.1% were males. Survey completion rate was the highest at 88.7% during the first two months after enrollment and 53.5% at 8 months. Of the five exhibits delivered so far, over 87% of participants rated the exhibits to be helpful (Figure 2). Participants found the exhibits readable, easily accessible, motivational, useful, and educational (Figure 3). The median (25th, 75th) CSQ-8 score was 21 (18, 25) among 144 participants who completed the survey. Conclusions: EmpowerMyCH, the digital health tool, appears to be acceptable to most adults with CHD to support and educate them in navigating their healthcare. The tool and its contents are accessible, user-friendly, and responsive to the needs of the CHD community, resulting in high satisfaction rates. The feasibility rates and satisfaction scores are similar to or higher for EmpowerMyCH than those of prior digital health studies. Future hybrid intervention trials can demonstrate EmpowerMyCH‘s effectiveness.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for approximately half of all heart failure hospitalizations; yet, tools for individualized 1-year mortality risk stratification remain limited. We conducted a retrospective study to develop and validate a machine learning model using genetic programming and automated model search to predict 1-year all-cause mortality in HFpEF patients admitted for decompensated HF. Methods: Electronic medical records from Mayo Clinic (2010-2020) were queried to identify 7,840 adult patients hospitalized with HF exacerbation and a left ventricular ejection fraction>50% on echocardiograms performed between six months pre-admission and seven days post-discharge. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, medication, comorbidity, and imaging data available at the time of index hospitalization were extracted. The cohort was split into 80% training (n=6,272) and 20% held-out test (n=1,568) sets. After standard preprocessing, we performed an evolutionary AutoML search. The final pipeline applied a RobustScaler, two sequential feature-union blocks, and an XGBoost classifier. Model performance on the test set was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), Brier score, accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, each with bootstrap-derived 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For interpretability, SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values were computed using the full scaled training set as background. Results: On the held-out test set, the XGBoost-based model achieved an AUC of 0.7595 (95% CI: 0.7307-0.7870) and a Brier score of 0.1764 (95% CI: 0.1652-0.1890). Accuracy was 0.7406 (95% CI: 0.7143-0.7645), precision 0.6349 (95% CI: 0.5759-0.6942), recall 0.4135 (95% CI: 0.3636-0.4609), and F1 score 0.5008 (95% CI: 0.4529-0.5444). The global SHAP summary plot (Figure 1) ranked age, serum albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), presence of renal failure, and NT-proBNP as the top 5 predictors. Conclusions: In this large HFpEF cohort, an AutoML-derived XGBoost pipeline achieved robust discrimination (AUC≈0.76) and calibration (Brier≈0.18) for 1-year mortality prediction. SHAP-based explanations highlighted the importance of age, nutritional status (albumin), renal biomarkers (BUN, renal failure), and natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP) as principal drivers of risk. These interpretable machine learning findings may guide personalized risk stratification and identify therapeutic targets in HFpEF.

Background: Early catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) improves outcomes, but the optimal timing, especially in heart failure (HF) subtypes, remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the impact of ablation timing on outcomes in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: We used the TriNetX database (2010–2024) to identify HF patients with AF who underwent ablation. Patients were classified as early ablation (≤1 year of first AF diagnosis) or delayed ablation (1–3 years), with propensity score matching (PSM) applied to balance the baseline characteristics. The primary outcome was AF recurrence, defined by repeat ablation, direct current cardioversion (DCCV), or antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) use after a 3-month blanking period. Secondary outcomes included stroke, hospitalization, and mortality over 5 years. Results: After PSM, delayed ablation was associated with higher AF recurrence in both HFrEF (HR 1.25, p < 0.001) and HFpEF (HR 1.27, p = 0.01), as seen in multivariate analysis. In HFrEF, delayed ablation was associated with higher incidence of re-do ablation, AAD use, and DCCV, while in HFpEF, higher recurrence with delayed ablation was associated with increased AAD use. Both cohorts had similar stroke and mortality rates between early and delayed ablation. Conclusions: Delayed ablation in HFrEF and HFpEF was linked to higher AF recurrence, driven by increased redo ablations, DCCV, AAD use in HFrEF, and higher AAD use in HFpEF. Stroke and mortality rates were similar, suggesting earlier ablation may enhance rhythm control without affecting long-term survival.

Background: Pre-clinical animal studies have demonstrated improved cerebral blood flow and neurological survival with Automated Head Up Position (AHUP) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as compared to flat conventional (C) CPR. AHUP CPR consists of 1) automated head and thorax elevation 2) active compression decompression CPR and 3) an impedance threshold device. Subsequently, observational propensity-matched studies of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients demonstrated a time-dependent association between survival with intact neurological function (SNF) and application of AHUP CPR. However, comparison of AHUP CPR outcomes with contemporaneous C-CPR controls is lacking. Hypothesis: Use of AHUP CPR for OHCA by first responder agencies will demonstrate a higher incidence of SNF compared to C-CPR outcomes from a national registry Methods: Data from the previous 5 years (2020-2024) from an AHUP-CPR Registry comprised of OHCA patients routinely treated by first responders with AHUP CPR were compared with data from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). Patient demographics, arrest characteristics, ROSC, SHD, and SNF were recorded. SNF was defined as a Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2 at hospital discharge. A two-sample test of proportions was used for outcome comparisons. Results: Nine AHUP registry sites (MN, FL, TN, IL, OK, VA, AL, IA, MI) were included. Summary 5-year demographics (Table 1) and clinical outcomes (Table 2) are presented. For 2020-2024 AHUP sites, the average time (mm:ss, SD) from 9-1-1 call to start of CPR was 9:09 (4:37) and time to start of AHUP CPR was 12:46 (5:57). The AHUP registry had a higher 5-yr incidence of SNF versus the CARES registry (difference 2.8%, 95% CI 1.8-3.8, p < 0.00001). This difference was consistent year over year (Figure 1). Secondary outcomes of sustained return of spontaneous circulation and survival to hospital discharge in the AHUP registry were also significantly higher than CARES registry data (Table 2). Conclusions: Over a 5-year period, an unadjusted analysis of aggregate data from two OHCA patient registries demonstrated that the incidence of survival with intact neurological function was higher in patients treated with AHUP CPR as part of first responder care versus patients treated with more conventional CPR methods.

Introduction: Cardiovascular risks following SARS-CoV-2 infection are incompletely defined. We evaluated evolving cardiovascular outcomes across COVID-19 variant eras using a large community-based cohort to inform risk stratification and clinical care. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 162,471 adults with COVID-19 between March 2020 and December 2023 using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Patients were stratified by variant era (Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron). Cardiovascular outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: myocardial infarction, stroke, death), ischemic and inflammatory heart disease, thrombotic events, and dysrhythmias. Diagnoses were identified using ICD-10 codes and validated in a subset. Cumulative incidence was estimated using Kaplan-Meier and competing risk models. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess differences by era and age. Results: MACE occurred in 4,922 patients, primarily in those ≥80 (2-year incidence: 17%). Event rates peaked within 30 days post-infection, with marked variation by variant. In patients ≥80, 30-day MACE risk was highest in the Pre-Delta (HR 3.85; 95% CI, 3.14–4.71) and Delta (HR 2.72; 95% CI, 2.13–3.47) eras versus Omicron. After 30 days, event rates fell and era differences narrowed. Thrombotic events (n=2,090; 1.4%) decreased across eras. Ischemic and inflammatory heart disease rates were stable. Myocarditis/pericarditis were rare (0.1%) without age trends. Dysrhythmias affected 6,765 patients (2-year incidence: 4.9%) and rose with age (2.0% in <40 vs. 19.9% in ≥80). Within 30 days, risk was higher in the Pre-Delta and Delta eras for age ≥40, especially ≥80 (Delta HR 3.08; 95% CI, 2.08–4.56) and 60–79 (HR 2.23; 95% CI, 1.75–2.85). Among those 40–59, Delta posed the highest risk (HR 2.74; 95% CI, 1.94–3.86 vs. Pre-Delta HR 1.77; 95% CI, 1.26–2.49). No differences were observed in <40. Beyond 30 days, risk converged across variants. Conclusion: Cardiovascular risk after SARS-CoV-2 infection was concentrated in the first 30 days, with attenuation thereafter. While MACE and thrombotic event rates declined over time, early dysrhythmia risk varied by variant and age, especially in older adults. These findings define a time-sensitive, variant-specific risk window and support short-term, risk-stratified post-COVID monitoring. This work informs targeted follow-up protocols by infection era and age, with implications for quality improvement, resource use, and equitable care.

Introduction: Patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) typically have low serum transthyretin (sTTR) levels, worsening heart failure, and increased mortality. A recent study has shown the association of sTTR levels ≥20mg/dL with reduced risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality (CVM). It has also been shown that regardless of baseline sTTR level, greater increases in sTTR levels are associated with greater improvements in cardiovascular outcomes. Acoramidis, a near-complete (≥90%) TTR stabilizer, demonstrated a rapid and sustained increase from baseline in sTTR by Day 28 and reduced risk of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ATTR-CM. Hypothesis: Acoramidis-mediated early increase in sTTR levels ≥20 mg/dL (lower limit of normal) at Day 28 reduces risks of CVM and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations (CVH) in patients with ATTR-CM. Methods: Analyses were conducted in the ATTRibute-CM modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population (acoramidis: 409; placebo: 202). The sTTR concentrations (normal range is 20-40 mg/dL) were assessed using an immunoturbidimetric method (Abbott ARCHITECT system) in a central laboratory. The proportion of participants with sTTR levels below normal at baseline and Day 28 were determined. The relationship between sTTR levels <20 or ≥20 mg/dL, at Day 28 across the pooled acoramidis and placebo treatment groups, and subsequent risk of CVM and of CVH over 30 months were analyzed using a stratified log-rank test. Results: At baseline about 25% of study participants had sTTR levels below normal in both treatment groups. At Day 28, less than 2% of participants had sTTR levels <20 mg/dL in the acoramidis arm compared with 26% in the placebo arm ( Table 1 ). When acoramidis and placebo treatment groups were pooled based on sTTR levels <20 or ≥20 mg/dL at Day 28, participants with sTTR ≥20 mg/dL were associated with a lower risk of the composite endpoint of CVM or first CVH at Month 30 in comparison with <20 mg/dL ( p <0.0001) ( Figure 1A ). Comparable findings were observed for the individual components (CVM, first CVH) ( Figure 1B and C ). Conclusion: Across treatment groups, sTTR levels above normal range (≥20 mg/dL) at Day 28 were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular outcomes at Month 30, when compared with sTTR levels below normal range (<20 mg/dL). Thus, these observations demonstrate that higher sTTR levels over time may have the potential for clinical benefits in both CVM and CVH.

Background: Leadless pacemaker has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional transvenous pacemaker (PM) among elderly patients who are at high risk of complications. Objective: This study aims to assess and compare 5-year clinical outcomes of leadless PM versus transvenous single-chamber PM in elderly patients using a multi-national dataset. Methods: Using the TriNetX Analytics Research Network, we included patients aged ≥65 years who underwent leadless versus transvenous single-chamber PM implantation between 1/1/2014 and 1/1/2020. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed by using patient’s demographic, LVEF, cardiac comorbidities, and medications. The study outcomes included all-cause mortality and adverse cardiovascular events over a 5-year follow-up period. Results: After PSM, 7,501 patients in each group were analyzed. Leadless PM was associated with a significantly lower odds of 5-year all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.534; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.497-0.575), heart failure exacerbation (OR: 0.779, 95% CI: 0.721-0.841), major bleeding (OR: 0.666, 95% CI: 0.604-0.734), cardiac arrest (OR: 0.747, 95% CI: 0.646-0.864) and stroke (OR: 0.825, 95% CI: 0.750-0.908) compared to transvenous single-chamber PM. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in all-cause hospitalization (OR: 1.006, 95%CI: 0.938-1.079), cardiac thrombus (OR: 1.077, 95%CI: 0.791-1.465) or venous thromboembolism (OR: 1.028, 95%CI: 0.916-1.153). Conclusion: Leadless PM was associated with significantly improved mortality and cardiovascular outcomes compared to transvenous single-chamber PM in elderly patients. These findings support the strong consideration of leadless pacing as a strategy to reduce mortality and improve clinical outcomes in this high-risk population.